Ralph Gundlach received his BA in political science (1924) and MA in psychology (1925) degrees from the University of Washington; he received his PhD in psychology from the University of Illinois in 1928. He taught psychology at the University of Washington from 1927 until his dismissal in 1949. Professor Gundlach’s career was shrouded in controversy, especially concerning the Canwell Committee and the resulting Faculty Committee on Tenure and Academic Freedom. He was fired with two other university professors, Butterworth and Philips. He was also held in contempt by the Canwell Committee, fined $250 and spent thirty days in jail. He passed in 1978 in London.

The Interim Committee on Un-American Activities (Canwell Committee) operated from 1947-1949. It was a special exploratory committee of the Washington State Legislature which investigated the influence of the Communist Party in Washington State, most notably at the University of Washington as well as the Seattle Repertory Playhouse and Washington State Pension Union. During the years the committee was active it subpoenaed many but took to trial 12 of the University’s professors, 3 of whom were dismissed from the university for having Communist affiliations and 3 of whom were put on probation for years after the incident occurred.